Coachella 2023: Social media users show what it’s really like at the festival

The Naked and Famous perform on stage at Coachella 2014.

Festivalgoers travelled to and from Coachella over the last two weekends, filling social media feeds with pictures and videos of exciting ensembles, the famous Ferris wheel and performances from major names like Blackpink, Zendaya and Bad Bunny.

The Californian festival is documented across social media as professional influencers, celebrity clientele and music fans record and share their experience in the dusty Colorado Desert depicting the party from manydifferent perspectives.

There is the very polished version of the festival, where attendees take advantage of the striking desert setting and their best outfits and poses – which makes for essential scrolling for fans of fashion and photography.

However, there is also the enthralling peak behind the polished social media curtain, where Coachella goers capture chaotic behind-the-scenes footage and unpack all the travel troubles that come with attending the famous festival.

Queues

Some TikTok users have recorded the amount of time they spent waiting in queues to use the different amenities, like the shower or toilets. TikTok user @kaelalala24 recorded the wait for the showers at 6am on the first day of the festival, which they said was about an hour and a half.

Expensive food

The food stocked at the festival certainly doesn’t fall into an ‘affordable’ category. TikToker @shaneyangg shared a video claiming one small tray of chicken tenders and chips was US$18.50 (NZ$30). Youtuber @joelleolol claimed they paid US$8 (NZ$13) for an iced coffee.

@shaneyanggg

pad thai wins the day for coachella food #coachella #coachella2023 #festival #festivalfood #padthai #chickentenders #poke #foodie #desert #california #travel #yummy #goodeats

♬ fair trade - xxtristanxo

Travel times

Some disgruntled festivalgoers have shared their surprise at the long travel times coming in and out of the desert. Influencer Alisha Marie shared on her podcast that her trip from the festival to LA, which would usually be about two hours, took six hours.

Surprise performances

Though Zendaya was one of the unexpected performers at the festival, she certainly wasn’t the only one. Shortly after Frank Ocean’s set, TikTok was flooded with videos of a dancing security guard, attendees talking about Ocean’s lateness and the early cancellation. A surprising lineup change is something that could happen at any time at Coachella - a lesson to be aware of for anyone planning to attend the festival in future.

@yonisakal

disappointed but this was still beautiful #coachella #frankocean

♬ original sound - yoni sakal